Fence-post.



PATENTED APR. 4. 1905.

H. E. P BRGIVAL FENCE POST.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 18, 1904.

Patented April 4, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

HERBERT E. PERCIVAL, OF GALVESTON, TEXAS.

FENCE-POST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 786,462, dated April 4:, 1905. Application filed June 18,1904. Serial No. 213,098.

To all whom, it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HERBERT E. PEROIVAL, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Galveston, in the county of Galveston and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Fence-Posts, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in explaining its nature.

My invention relates to an improvement in plastic fence-posts of the class so called.

It consists, more essentially, in the making or the means for making or providing the post with a screw-base, by which it may be screwed into the ground without the necessity of digging a post-hole, which is the more common expedient.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 shows in elevation a plastic fence-post provided with a screw-base. Fig. 2 shows the same in cross vertical section. Fig. 3 shows in elevation a post provided with a modified means for obtaining the screw-base, to which special reference will hereinafter be made. Fig. lshows in elevation a post with a slight further modification in the means for obtaining the screwbase and to which special reference also will hereinafter be made. Fig. 5 shows a crosssection on the line 5 5 of Fig. 8. Fig. 6 shows a cross-section on the line 6 6 of Fig. 4.

In the drawings, A represents a plastic fence-post made of concrete; but my invention may be practiced with a post formed from any other composition of matter which can be molded into proper form to have the stability that a fence-post should have and which may remain in the ground for a long time without deterioration or decay. Concrete has these qualifications, and so is the matter I prefer to use in the formation of the post.

The post A consists of the body portion a and base a.

The body of the post is preferably molded triangular in shape, as may be seen in Fig. .5, and has along the side a series of mortises a for receiving the ends of the fence-rails (E, which are united by a staple a, or instead of rails wires a may be strung along the posts and secured thereto, as shown in Fig. 3.

In Figs. 4 and 6 there is shown a new mode of fastening the wires (0'' to the post viz by means of auxiliary wires (4 passed through holes a in the post-body, the ends of which wires (0 are twisted around the main wire a strung along so holding it.

The base a of the post is molded in the form of a pointed screw with thread a". By means of this screw-base the post may be set into the ground simply by turning the post, which may be done by any suitable means. On the inside the concrete structure of the post is reinforced by a spiral metal core B. This metal core runs not only through the body of the post, but more essentially through the base, Where its spirals, corresponding in their convolutions with the thread molded on the outside thereof, act to reinforce it and give the entire base structure the strength especially needed to withstand the strain incident to driving the post.

By making the thread in the base of the post of the same composite or concrete structure it can be readily molded when the post is formed. Besides, it possesses the advantage of permanency, for a thread thus made will not decay or deteriorate as metal might do when placed in the ground. In some earths. however, this thread might be found too resisting. It might not bite or cut into the earth in a manner to permit of an easy screwing of the post, for the plastic composition or concrete cannot well be molded to give such a sharp cutting edge, as is desirable in a screw, and which might be obtained from metal. Then, again, the natural rough surfacing of the plastic composition or concrete would prevent by its frictional resistance to the earth an easy screwing of the post and in hard earths might prevent the action altogether. On this account I have shown in Fig. 3 the base of the post provided with a metal thread or flange B. This metal is embedded in the composition or concrete and, as represented, may be but a continuation of the metal core B, which is embedded lengthwise inside the body of the post and which emerges near the head of the base to wind spirally around it on the outside, so reinforcing not only the base, but also providing it, as before stated, with a relatively smooth sharp cutting screw edge or spiral flange, by which means the post can be readily sunk into the ground. The metal may be thus embedded in the composition or concrete when the post is molded. Of course this edge of metal may decay or deteriorate in the ground, and so is really but a temporary expedient. It has, however, served its purposeviz., that of facilitating the sinking of the post-and the post once having been sunk and the main portion of its base structure being practically indestructible the post will still remain set in place, intact, althought the metal thread thereof may have decayed. This metal reinforcement and combined thread may of course in so far as the scope of my invention is concerned be entirely independent of the metal core of the post, especially that embedded in the body of the post. This construction I have illustrated in Fig. 4:, where the base B is shown having as an auxiliary part a metal spiral or screw-shell Be'mbedded in its structure. I have found that a spiral or thread so obtained, especially if of wide flange, may be of relatively short length and still be all that is necessary for screwing the post into the ground.

Having thus fully described my invention,

I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States 1. A plastic fence-post having athreaded or screw-base portion and a metal spiral embed ded therein.

2. A plastic fence-post comprising a body and a base portion and a spiral reinforcement embedded in the same.

3. A plastic fence-post comprising a body and a base portion and a spiral metal thread or screw-flange embedded in said base portion.

4. A plastic fence-post comprising a body and a base portion, and a temporary thread for said base portion of the post for screwing the same into the ground.

5. A plastic fence-post comprising a body and a base portion, and in combination with said base portion a metal spiral embedded in the plastic surface thereof, forming a thread by which said portion of the post may be screwed into or embedded in the ground.

6. A plastic fence-post having a body and a base portion, and in combination therewith a metal reinforcement in the entire post, the same being embedded in said body portion of the post and on the outside passing spirally around said base portion forming a screwthread by which the same may be screwed into or embedded in the ground.

HERBERT E. PERCIVAL.

In presence of- J NO. J. LABARTHE, F. P. MARTIN. 

